Ali
by Actual Num.1 Harry Potter Fan
Summary: Neville and Hannah get married and have a child. She grows up at Hogwarts, best friends with James Potter. She experiences every thing a normal witch experiences while at Hogwarts and afterwards.


Ali: Prologue

It wasn't the kind of love that grew in the shadow of the Great War, nor was it the kind that grew as the two of them did. It was love that grew after if all happened, the day Neville stumbled into the Leaky Cauldron on a blistery Christmas Eve. He had been on his way to Harry and Ginny's but the snow storm that had blown in trapped him in Diagon Alley where he'd been picking up some new plants for the greenhouses. He'd been surprised to find not Tom behind the counter, but another familiar face.

"Why, if it isn't Neville Longbottom," she said with a smile on her face. Not one that looked forced or the kind that seems to swallow one's entire face, but a genuine smile.

"Hannah, Hannah Abbott, is that you? What happened to Tom?" Neville asked, relieved that he was able to recall the girl's name.

"Ya, it's me; I bought this leaky place off Tom a few years ago. He was getting on and I needed a place, so I offered to take it off his hands," she turned around a filled a mug with hot chocolate. "On the house. I take it you'll be needing a room, but with this storm I'm afraid I'm full. First time in a while, I have to say."

"Thanks," he said, taking the warm mug gratefully. "Is there another place that would be able to tide me over for the night until I can get these," he gestured to the plants he had beside him, "back to Hogwarts?"

"Well, I don't do this often, but seeing as you're an old mate; I've got an extra room up in my flat if you'd like to stay there for the night." She looked at him hopefully.

"That sounds great," Neville said thankfully. They headed upstairs together, catching up along the way.

• •

No one was more surprised about the blossoming relationship than Neville himself. On the next Christmas Eve he proposed by giving the ring to her as an early Christmas gift. During the school year Neville still lived at the little cottage that was given to him when he started at Hogwarts, but he would stay with Hannah every weekend. It wasn't the best living arrangement there was, but neither one was willing to give up on the thing they loved. It all changed when they learned that Hannah was pregnant. They decided that Neville would take a few years off so that they could be together as a family and McGonagall agreed to find a part time teacher for Neville's position as soon as the baby was born. Luckily the baby was due in the summer so they didn't need to worry about finding a substitute in the middle of the school year.

The day of the due date, Neville was working in the third greenhouse, getting ready for the teacher that would be arriving the next week. He was making sure that he had everything he had taught the previous year written down so the students wouldn't have to learn the same thing that they had learned the year before. He had started out the day beside Hannah, but the anticipation was just too much for him to handle. Right now she was in the care of Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall in the hospital wing. Neville had told them to come and get him once it started; he didn't want to miss the birth of his baby girl. Ginny had given birth to her son James two months prior and Neville was glad that he and Hannah wouldn't be the only new parents around. The thought of having to look after someone as tiny as James terrified Neville more than anything. He was so afraid of dropping James that he had to be sitting in order to hold him.

When he heard the door of the greenhouse open, he dropped what had been holding and hurried to the front of the room. McGonagall was standing there, slightly out of breath.

"It's happening much faster than we'd originally thought." She said. Neville nodded swiftly and they made their way to the hospital wing; Neville was too busy thinking about what was going to happen after she was born. For him the trip passed in a blur.

Neville knew he had missed it the moment he heard the baby cry. He wasn't even in the doorway when it cut through the air like a knife. Although Professor McGonagall was now practically gasping for air, Neville sped up, hurrying into the room. He stopped just inside the room, staring at the bundle that his wife was holding. He walked over slowly, holding his breath. Wordlessly he held out his arms and Hannah placed the baby in them. He didn't notice the paleness of Hannah's face are the worry that was written across Madam Pomfrey's. All he could do was stare at the baby in her arms, memorizing the way her blonde eyelashes outlined her baby blue eyes, and how her tuffs of blonde hair were already starting to curl. Neville couldn't keep the grin off his face, she was beautiful. He was so entranced that he barely heard Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall talking.

"She's lost too much blood; we need the potion that Professor Lyell made," McGonagall nodded and snapped her fingers; with a crack a house elf appeared.

"What can Libby do for Professor McGonagall?" she asked.

"I need you to find Professor Lyell and tell him there were complications," Professor McGonagall said. The house elf nodded and within seconds was gone. At the mention of complications, Neville looked up.

"Complications?" He asked. He looked at Hannah, noticing for the first time how pale she looked. He set the baby in the crib that had been set up beside Hannah, and then grabbed Hannah's hand.

"She'll be fine, as soon as Miles gets here with the potion," she assured him. "Poppy's fixed her up, but the potion will help her get her strength back faster." The rom became so quiet they were able to hear Professor Lyell coming from the end of the hallway. As soon as he got into the room he handed the vial to McGonagall who swiftly poured into a glass for Hannah. Hannah let go of Neville's hand in order to hold the glass as she gulped it down. "It should only be a few moments, then we'll see noticeable changes. But instead of giving Hannah's face a healthy glow, her face started to turn blue and she began gasping for air. The cup crashed to the floor, but was ignored but all of them.

"What's happening?" Neville asked.

Madam Pomfrey looked over at Professor Lyell, "What did you put into that potion?" she asked.

"N-nothing, I only put in what it called for: boomslang skin, wolfsbane, crushed beetle wings…" he replied.

"Crushed beetle wings? Oh no, oh no," Madam Pomfrey muttered.

"What is it, Poppy?" McGonagall questioned.

"It shouldn't have been crushed bettle wings; it should have been crushed buttnel leaves. Substituting beetle wings would make it deadly." Neville looked over at Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall before turning back to Hannah.

"Can't you do anything?" Neville asked urgently.

"No," Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly, "I can't."

"How long?" He asked.

"Not long, not long at all," Madam Pomfrey replied.

• •

Neville held Hannah's hand long after she died. McGonagall left brieftlyto contact Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, but came back shortly after.

"I know this must be hard on you Neville, but we have to get her body ready for the funeral. Why don't you take her," McGonagall gestured toward the baby, "and wait for the lot while Poppy and I look after Hannah?"

Neville nodded sullenly. He stood slowly, letting go of Hannah's hand gently. He kissed her on the forehead before picking up the baby. He held her close; she was the only thing that he had of Hannah and he wasn'y about to lose her too. He stopped at the doorway and took one last lok at his wife before heading down the pathway that led to his little cottage.

• •

The wait for Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny was long and Neville took that time to study his daughter's face. Fortunately they had set up a crib in the corner of the living room so they could spend a few days there until Hannah was able to travel. He put her in the crib when she fell asleep in his arms. He rocked her slowly as he thought about Hannah. When he heard the door open he stood up. Ginny came in and gave Neville a big hug.

"We're so sorry. How are you doing?" Ginny asked.

"It doesn't feel real. I keep expecting her to walk through the door. I thought today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, what a great birthday this has been," Neville said. Harry stepped into the cottage holding James. He walked over to the crib and put James down. He put his hand on Neville's shoulder and squeezed.

"We've been thinking," Harry said, "and we think maybe you should come and stay with us for a while." Neville looked at Harry and Ginny incredulously.

"We thought it would be best, considering your gran passed last year, and I, we, think it would be better if you weren't holed up here all by yourself," Ginny said.

Neville looked at both of them and swallowed. "That'd be great," he said.

Harry looked at the clock hanging on the far wall. "Ron and Hermione should be here any minute, I'm going to go up and meet them," he said. He pecked Ginny on the cheek before going outside. Neville sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. For the first time that day he started to cry. Ginny sat down beside him and started to rub his back. They sat like that until Harry came back with Hermione and Ron. Greeting Ron and Hermione was a repeat of greeting Harry and Ginny. Hermione was the one to break the spell of silence that had fallen upon them after they found they didn't quite know how to comfort each other. She got up and walked over to the crib and picked up the baby.

"What's her name?" she asked as she cradled the baby in her arms.

"Alison Grace, Hannah wanted to call her Ali for short," he replied.


End file.
